In The Library With The Candlestick

I began putting this table together a couple of weeks ago but couldn’t quite get it ready in time for last week’s Tablescape Thursday. It was freezing at the time and I was craving warm and cozy.

What a difference a week makes! Yesterday as I worked to finish the table, the birds were chirping so loudly outside you would have thought spring had arrived. I hadn’t been out so I checked the thermometer and couldn’t believe my eyes, it was 75° out! Looks like fine weather for a little mystery on the porch!

This cozy, mystery table setting, would probably look more at home in my dining room with its red walls, but I couldn’t resist playing outside on this rare warm day. A pheasant throw from the living room made a nice backdrop for this setting.

Looking forward to all the beautiful table settings for this Tablescape Thursday!

If you are participating in Tablescape Thursday, please be sure to add your permalink below, and not your general blog address.

To get your permalink, click on your post name, then copy and paste the address showing in the address bar, into the “url” box when you link up. You’ll need to include a link in your post back to the party to link up and participate.

That’s so visitors to your blog will be able to find the party and the other Tablescape Thursday participants. Requiring a link back also prevents businesses from linking up to sell their products. (Yep, that really happens, unfortunately.)

Please, don’t add your post name/blog name ALL IN CAPS…it tends to create big spaces between the rows of links.

Please do not link up table settings that were just recently shared in the last few weeks for Tablescape Thursday.

Oh, Susan, what a terrific tablescape! Those character plates absolutely make me smile! They are pieces of art and what fun they would be for your guests. I love the premise of this table and your accent pieces are great (LOVE the magnifying glass and those mice—darling!) So much fun and a great way to start the day. Rosie

Thanks, Rosie! Oh, I’m glad you mentioned the magnifying glass and the mice. I forgot to include where those came from, just added them to the end of the post. My friend, Marie gave me those darling mice. One is actually designed where he can hold a piece of cheese or maybe a cheese knife. I haven’t used them yet for a party, yet but am looking forward to using them this summer.

Elena, check on eBay or at Replacements.com. I found the Owl and the Bear on eBay last summer because the bear was no longer available and the owl was backordered when I discovered this collection. After I found them on eBay, West Elm apparently found some more of the Owl plates that had been on backorder and they sent me the two I had ordered. They never did get the Bear back in, though. You may want to buy the fox, rabbit and owl and keep your eyes out for the others on eBay or at Replacements.com. I bet eventually they will show up on one of those sites.

Elena, another reader was lamenting that they don’t have many of the characters left and I suggested she call West Elm to see if they would be getting more in. She did and said, no. Then I remembered, last year when I was trying to find the fox plate, I called the West Elm in Atlanta about 30 minutes from me and they had them. I suggested that to her. She just left a comment saying she called two West Elm stores near her, they had several of the plates and are shipping them to her. So, you may want to call a few West Elm locations and check to see if they have any in stock. Apparently, they will ship them to you from the stores.

How fun is this! Love those dressed up animal plates, and your mystery setting is so clever. Those napkins are beautiful, and the throw is the perfect backdrop for a mystery. I’m going to go with Ms. Fox, just because she doesn’t seem to have an alibi.

What a fun table! I love playing Clue and mysteries in general. You are so creative! That would be a really fun party, each person is a character on the plate & hide clues around the house or just play Clue after dinner.

This is such a fun and delightful post. Clue was always one of my favorite games, although I must admit I rarely won. This Tablescape brought a smile to my face and joy to my heart. Thanks so much. Enjoy the bit of Spring while you can!

What fun Susan! Clue is my all time favorite board game! All your details and clever narrative are delightful! Yes, yesterday I was sweating as I cleaned out the garage in the 70 degree weather and this morning B’ham is shut down, schools and businesses closed as we await the next winter storm, AGH! You have brightened my frustrating day with your creative table and Thursday party, thank you!

How fun and cute! I’m blaming the Fox!! Love the cute details with the magnifying lens and the mice with the “key”! Looks like you are heading straight into spring with temps like that! You have a very creative thought process!

What fun Susan!! Well, the butler is not visible, so we cannot blame him, so I go for the cat who seems to be lying on the evidence and acting way too nonchalantly!!
Love the plates. Thank you for a Thursday morning smile!! 🙂

Susan,
I absolutely love this post! As a former “Nancy Drew” reader and
“Clue” (game) player, the post speaks to me. I do love a good mystery. The accessory pieces you chose for the theme are perfect and I think those plates are wonderful and add a new twist on the “cast of characters”. Wonderful job! As an aside, I was in Atlanta yesterday shopping and could not believe the nice weather – unfortunately, it is windy and rainy in Macon today!

I know, wasn’t that amazing! It didn’t last though…it’s freezing here today…and windy and rainy. It was a good excuse to wear my red rain boots, though. 🙂 Diane, I was a huge Nancy Drew and Clue fan, too. I need to do a Nancy Drew tablescape this summer, that would be a hoot! Thanks for planting that idea in my head. 🙂 Stay warm…spring is coming!

Susan – I did a post, about reading and used Nancy Drew, as the theme. I found Nancy Drew fabric and used it, as a tablecloth, I loved the Nancy Drew books and continued to look mystery books still! I would love to see your post! If you decide to do one!

Susan,
Here is the link to the Nancy Drew post. I did this one early in my blogging career – I certainly think I could have done better, especially, the photos. However, I think it conveyed my love of reading and Nancy Drew!

Now I remember…I loved that table! So cool that you actually found Nancy Drew fabric! I have that same book you had in the centerpiece…Girl Sleuth, Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her. I purchased it a while back and I bet it was after I saw your table. 🙂 That was such a wonderful idea that you put together for the party…with all the clues and the video. Your granddaughter will never forget that birthday, Diane!

Susan,
I love the post! As a former Nancy Drew reader and “Clue” game player, the post really speaks to me. Your accessory pieces were, obviously, chosen with great care and are perfect. The plates are wonderful additions to the usual suspects. Great job!! As an aside, I was in Atlanta shopping yesterday and could not believe the nice weather. However, it is windy and rainy in Macon today. Very sad…

I love this It has so much texture and depth! The throw was a wonderful base. And yes, it would have looked amazing against your red dining room walls. The plates are so wonderfully whimsical and the acoutrements add so much interest.

How fun!! Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys and Colonel Mustard in the library all in one adorable story! Do tell, Miss Scarlett, how you became such a sleuth!!!! I love the table setting. But the mice are my fav and just too cute. Love the setting. Love the dishes. Love the story! You get an A+ for this one. (smile, smile, smile)

Ha! It was all those Nancy Drew books I read growing up. 😉 I love those little mice, too. I haven’t used them for a party yet but they are meant to sit on or near a cheese platter. The little mouse holding the key can hold a piece of cheese, I think. Thanks, Linda! I had a lot of fun with this one…I refuse to grow up! 🙂

Susan, I love your sense of humor and also your choice of dishes. I’m smitten with the whole series, but only added the Gilded Dapper gentlemen to my dish closet. Featuring the Ram this week. ‘-)
Great minds as they say………..Sarah

Hi there Susan – wonderful tablescape ! and it looks even more wonderful on the porch ! I can’t wait to hear birds singing but it’s the same story every year with me – 3 feet of snow on the ground at my house and in a month we will be hosting Easter brunch and with 2 grandchildren and cousins wanting to have an egg hunt, I can guarantee you it will be inside and on the deck this year LOL. Can you please send up some sunshine and warmth ? And some birdsongs, please? Enjoy ! Hugs, Dorinda

Susan ~ What a cute idea! Love it! I have been up all night the last two nights and don’t know why I can’t sleep. But I really had the wallpaper topic in my head and added some photos pertaining to this post which would have been all about the ‘pound of sugar’!

This is absolutely adorable. Creative. Delightful. Intriguing. And adorable again! I’d say since it was for late-night reading, it must be Mr. Owl. Plus he’s the only suspect who specified a night-time alibi. (But I can’t connect to any clues on the table.) When will you tell us?

Susan, what a fun, yet mysterious table!!! I love it!! It kind of reminds me of the tables that Bill at Affordable Accoutrements used to create. Do you remember him and if you do, do you know what happened to him and his blog or do you ever hear from him? I miss his participation in TT.

OH MY WORD! The mystery table is to die for…it is simply amazing and the details, superb!!! Now the animal plates are fabulous! You outdid yourself dear Susan.
Thank you for hosting this great party.
FABBY

How do you store everything? Do you have a cabinet that you store everything in on shelves with easy access? I was going to buy plastic containers to slide under my bed for easy access or keep in my storage unit for the different seasons. But you seem to interchange everything no matter the season.
And thanks for always answering questions. I know I always have so many

Susan, it has been a long time since I have written. I enjoy your site so much and marvel at all that you share with us. I had to write now to say how much I like this tablescape. You are always so creative, but for some reason this table was extra special. My sister loved the game Clue and was so good at solving. I never thought of using a well loved game as the inspiration for a table. I may have to think about what game I could turn into my table inspiration. Thank you. MM

Thanks so much, Marie. I loved that game, too…it was one of my favorites. Wouldn’t it be fun to do a table with a Monopoly or Scrabble theme. 🙂 Or, how about The Game of Life! That would be so much fun. Maybe I should try to do a whole month of those this summer…would be a fun challenge for sure!

Dear Susan, I am sure Mr. Holmes, Dr. Watson, Mrs. Marple and Monseiur Poiroit will be arriving any moment for a late lunch. They all slept late due to their late night sleuthing. I love all the sleuthing accoutrements and the well-dressed animals made me laugh. Children to adults would be honored to eat at this lovely table. If you wanted to add to the ambiance you could add a smoking jacket, pipe, walking stick and houndstooth check hat on a nearby parlor table and a knitting basket besides a chair. I am sure Max would love to guard the yarn. Thanks for another TT. Freezing rain/wintry mix here in central Louisiana today. Stay warm. Ashley

Absolutely gorgeous table setting! It reminds me of a trip to the library…I would call this table “educational”. Such Whimsy too! I have thermometer envy as I look at your temperature…it is to warm up to near 60 in the near future where I live, but today it is just bone numbing cold!
Just ordered another one of your book suggestions too…That is 4 in a row!
ANDREA

Susan, I love this table! This was an inspired idea for a table scape and you’ve used such cute accessories. I have to say though, I was so jealous hearing of your warm-enough-to-play-on-the-porch weather when we were frreeezzzing, here. And I’m not that far away! Anyway, love the creative table scape and that you used the pheasant throw as the backdrop. And I love the magnifying glass on the stand; very old school.

As to the culprit, I’m going to point my own Georgian candle stick at — (dundadadun) Mr. Bear. Why? Because of all the possible suspects, he appears to be the only one with strength enough to lift such an impressive candelabra. In addition, I’ve done some detective work and learned that despite his hirsute and woodsy exterior, Mr. Bear is a very cultured Ursid indeed, having Read Poetry at Cambridge ~ his favorites being the Lake Poets. Yes, for his own devious purposes he likes to affect that lumbering, dim-witted, outdoorsy, facade. But facade it is. HE, my dear lady, is your murderer … er … thief and admirer of poetry by candlelight. 🙂

This would be a fun party to give; a mystery night table setting! I think
it would be more “effectively” set in your den. The bright and airy porch
just does not do justice to your creativity.
As for those stem glasses from Dollar Store? You find such treasures there
and I never seem to find anything except some pretty good buys on paper
products. Sighhhhh…..

Thanks, Alyce…oh, the den would be perfect with the wood paneled walls with a blazing fire in the fireplace nearby. Love that idea! 🙂 After I put that post up, I started thinking about it and I believe I found those glasses at A Classy Flea for $2 each, not the dollar store. I knew I didn’t pay much for them and was thinking they were a dollar store find, but now I’m pretty sure it was A Classy Flea.

I just love all your tablescapes, and really liked the who do it d=story with this one, oh the suspence, what a great imagination you have, alos love all your tips on everything you so inspire me and thank you so mush.

Helllo, Susan! It has been such a long time since I’ve hung out here. Long spell of one thing after another. I have had so much fun today looking through some posts. When this one was part of your header, I just grinned. I have these plates too but unfortunately, missed out on Mr. Bear. West Elm tried to find one for me but no success. I still hope he will pop up again one day. I even contacted the artist! This table is just my kind of table. Filled with elements that I love, whimsy, story, texture etc. I look forward to being here more often. I was so happy to see Tablescape Thursday in full force. Thank you!

Hello! Not sure if you know, but they’ve added a few new plates to the dapper animal line! Just thought I’d let you know, in case you weren’t aware. 🙂 Have a great day, and LOVE all the decor inspiration you give!